All of the optimism surrounding Rasheed Wallace's
return from midseason foot surgery evaporated after his early exit from the
Knicks' loss to the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday night.

Wallace limped off the floor after less than four
minutes of action and, in typical Knicks fashion, exited the locker room before
the media could ask any meaningful questions about his foot.

"I'm not saying
it's a setback," Knicks coach Woodson said, as
quoted by Newsday's Al Iannazzone.
"He was a little sore. He asked me to come out and I pulled him. We'll
evaluate it a little more and see how he feels."

Woodson's relentless
optimism is growing tiresome. Wallace looked heavy, slow and uncomfortable as
he air-balled a 3-pointer and had another shot blocked by Bismack Biyombo.

"I wasn't
disappointed. I thought the minutes he gave were positive," said Jason Kidd, as
quoted by Fred Kerber of the New York
Post. "He's probably going to have some soreness. I'm just happy that
he's not hurt. Hopefully he can build on the four minutes."

Ahem, it was 3:50.

Had the Knicks taken
a more realistic approach to Wallace's foot, rather than mindlessly hoping the
soreness would dissipate, he could have had the surgery earlier in the season
and had a more realistic chance at returning.

Instead Wallace, Woodson
and the Knicks training staff chose to rely on treatment, rest and faith that
an overweight player who had appeared in only 20 games since coming out of
retirement could overcome a bad foot and contribute for a team that hoped to
win an NBA title.

Woodson is now counting on him to play a reserve
role in the playoffs. That was a reason the Knicks waived Solomon Jones earlier
Monday, dropping the roster to 14 players. If the Knicks want to add a player
for the playoffs, they need to do so before Wednesday's season finale against
Atlanta at Madison Square Garden in order for the player to be eligible for the
postseason.

In other Knicks news:

• NJ.com's
Tony Williams was, once again, very impressed by Chris Copeland's
contributions: "One guy who took advantage of the
extra playing time was Copeland, who netted a career-high 32 points and played
47 out of a possible 48 minutes. Sure, he was leading the Knicks' 'B Team,' and
it was against the Bobcats (20-61), but 32 points in an NBA game is still 32
points. It was the most points from a Knicks' rookie since Nate Robinson scored
that amount in 2006... Perhaps Copeland's recent stretch may garner more favor
from head coach Mike Woodson to further trust him with quality minutes in the
playoffs, especially if the ailing frontcourt players won't be ready for the
Celtics -- and even beyond."

• ESPNNewYork.com's
Ian O'Connor wrote one of those columns that's all about how star player 'X'
needs to overcome 'Y' to lead his team to a title: "This season is on both of
Anthony's shoulders now, the real season starting this weekend against Boston.
He hasn't been much of a winner this time of year. In fact, he's been a
first-round loser eight times in nine postseason trips with the Nuggets and
Knicks, a cruel stat that doesn't care if Melo was often saddled with the
weaker side."

• The
Times' Howard Beck discussed former president Donnie Walsh and his vision
for the Knicks: "This is the powerful team that Walsh always envisioned,
although it perhaps took a little longer than anyone at the Garden might have
anticipated. The Anthony-Stoudemire pairing proved, as Phil Jackson would say,
a bit "clumsy." And the blockbuster deal for Anthony — pursued by Walsh, pushed
through by Dolan — cost the Knicks so many valuable pieces that it took two
years just to replenish the supporting cast."

• USA
Today's Jeff Zillgitt also wrote
about Walsh and his legacy in New York: "Now president of basketball operations
with the Pacers, Walsh has put together a team somewhat differently. He hasn't
made moves to acquire a superstar, but has a collection of solid players... If
both advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs, it would create an
awkward matchup for Walsh — one team he helped build and another team he's
helping build and with which he has a long history."